


I Could Float Here Forever

by SpicyWalrus



Series: A Dollar at a Time [4]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Making Out, Pole Dancing, Swimming, what a surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-26
Updated: 2014-06-26
Packaged: 2018-02-06 07:25:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1849456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyWalrus/pseuds/SpicyWalrus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's little things like these that keep Shepard interested. Sometimes, too interested.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Could Float Here Forever

**Author's Note:**

> in other words, Shepard gets a little surprise that he didn't actually know about.  
> i guess high rise apartments really do pay off

Kaidan's window holds many, many secrets. Their little bed in the window has kept many lonely nights and ones in company as well. It holds conversations forbode from the outside world, because when you're so high up in emotion and reality, here, in Kaidan's high-rise apartment, reality blurs and you're in your own little tight-knit world of tension and outstretches wings of want. Or so it seemed to Shepard.

Since Shepard fell for Kaidan they've gone through a lot. Just one sexual encounter, though, and it was kept in mind that they should keep it on the down-low. Now, Miranda and Jack knew of the relationship (Liara, too, the sly-talking, artful woman), but none of the details. Nobody should, the two men agreed many a time after time, falling deeper and deeper into their connection every time it was established. 

Their minds worked together in a criminal way, like a perfect match of psyche and knowledge, the same opinions (save from the opinion about bacon, which was debatable from both sides) and the same feelings. The one main difference was that Kaidan could comment on these things he thought of and had opinions and feelings on much easier than Shepard could, the stoic-facade man. In close company, though, Kaidan observes and saw how selfless and genuine he could really be.

God, especially when they first made love.

Kaidan kept to himself Shepard's O-face, of course, and the feeling of his hips, his body pressed flush against Kaidan's. Sure, he should have had lovers in the past, and he wondered if this wasn't such a special show for him and only him... But what did it matter? Kaidan felt lucky to have a partner like Shepard.

Or, _John_ , as he much more commonly addressed him as of late.

Kaidan didn't know it, but what lied inside of Shepard was the equivalent to Kaidan's feelings. Shepard didn't have to ask for more, and the blooming feeling of doubt was killed over and over from feelings that were seemingly brand-new every time they touched again. So if everything they felt wasn't so different from one another, then why did Shepard feel like he didn't know what was true and untrue?

It was the hell-bringing feeling causing the reason Shepard kept out of his relationships, his doubt for himself and the idea that he was never good enough.

Like said, Kaidan killed that doubt every time he hushes his words of encouragement into Shepard's ear late at night, or with the sweet nothings of pillow-talk they shared.

So tonight, before Kaidan goes on stage, he murmurs in Shepard's ear, " _If you watch the entire thing without having to leave for somewhere private, I might be inclined to reward you, hon."_

So Shepard waited throughout the entire thing as Kaidan dances, he arches and moves so smoothly to tonight's track, and it's so coordinated that Shepard wonders if he practiced this for Shepard, like a little inside joke equal parts rewarding and tempting.

It seems like forever as Kaidan wraps around the pole, as he grips tightly and swings his legs out and around, dipping his body down with the grip of his thighs, _sweet Christ, those thighs_ , and bending so daintily and delicately to the music.

It's a sight Shepard hopes is reserved for him, only him.

The rest of the crowd hoots and whistles, and Shepard stays silent as he worries his lip to his own plans in his head.

But when Kaidan is done (three more songs later, oh God, Shepard could hardly take the way he moved), Shepard finds Kaidan's little giddy smile quite the sight to see. Then again, it makes him a little curious, but mostly concerned, about what Kaidan's planning.

Shep's already had a few drinks, and his vision is swaying the slightest as Kaidan leads him by his hand, looking behind himself and into Shepard's cloudy eyes, his lopsided grin. And when Kaidan leads him into his little car, he knows they're going somewhere different.

Or, for Kaidan, somewhere completely familiar.

The high rises are expensive, and for that matter, the pool on the roof wound up to sound like a rather unoccupied, nice place for two lovers to be.

The city had it's ups and it's downs, oh it did.

* * *

Shep ends up blindfolded, and he can't quit peering around at the noises he hears, the elevator going up and moving, and at the stop, he has a feeling they're just at Kaidan's place, nothing different.

But when he steps out and the slight breeze stands out like a corpse on the floor, Shepard's senses go into overdrive.

There's a smell of roses from the planters that line the roof, and when blinded it feels like it's too high up to be safe, but in Kaidan's reality, again, the high rises he lived in didn't rise very high at all.

The place is desolate, and Kaidan loves it. He adores the way the wind blows softly so high up and he knows they're alone, it's so late and it's a weekday, and it's them two against vast waters.

Well, forty feet of edgeless, clear blue waters.

It's a nice sight to see, but a better sight to see (and feel), is Shepard pressed against Kaidan's back, grabbing onto his hips for Kaidan to lead him.

Kaidan turns in Shepard's arms and laughs low and soft, asking quietly, "Ready?"

Shepard murmurs back, "If you say so," and keeps his gaze low as Kaidan slips off his blindfold. The sight he sees behind Kaidan is rather grand; an entire edgeless pool, chairs lined along the sides, and the city lights that match the starts, blinking and twinkling the slightest on their dark canvas.

"Damn," he mumbles with enthusiasm, brows raising and his neck craning to peer around Kaidan's head just to get a better view. Kaidan takes his hand and leads him suddenly with the slow sway of his hips, and Shepard follows like a trained dog, pondering and looking around at the scenery, the roses that line the walls protecting from the edges, the dim light from the pool.

"So, what do you say?" Kaidan hums with a smirk, already peeling off his black button-up, the sleeves uncoiling from their place on his forearms as it surely finds a place thrown against a lounger.

Shepard watches with an anxious feeling in his core as Kaidan steps out of his leather pants, unable to tear his eyes away as his lover's ass becomes bare from the discarding of his underwear. With a few more steps to the edge, Kaidan calls, "Come on, Shepard," like the man really is a dog.

But before Shepard can speak to that alluring face, that glint in Kaidan's eyes, Kaidan dives in and disappears underneath the surface that bubbles up in the night.

Stepping to the edge, Shepard revels in the way Kaidan resurfaces at the edge closest to Shep, slowly popping his head out of the water to shoot a wink and a smile at his lover. "Coming in?" he asks with a small pout.

"Um," Shepard answers, shrugging with a grimace that he hopes turns out more like a smile. Kaidna leans back and laughs, loud and haughty in his husked tone. "You're completely naked, Kaidan," he stalls, and Kaidan calms his laugh down into little sporadic giggles, smiling up at Shepard.

Kaidan puts on his pout again, looking up through his lashes at Shepard's stance so close to the pool. He conjures up a little open-mouthed sigh, pushing out of the pool a little ways to rest his arms on the edge, folded on the concrete. "C'mere," he beckons, taunting Shepard with a come-hither of his index finger.

Shepard gives Kaidan a mischievous smile and gets down on his knees, shedding his leather layer in an unzip and a pull, tossing it to the lounge chair where Kaidan's sweater lays. "Thinking of something, Kaidan?" He asks with suspicion, and Kaidan shrugs and shakes his head.

"Just come here and kiss me, damnit," Kaidan commands and he can't keep out his smile, growing from one edge to the other in a matter of Shepard leaning over and Kaidan pushing up to meet his lips, lingering and sweet as Kaidan tilts his head slightly.

Shepard pulls away for one moment, looking from the other's dark eyes to his lips and back, leaning in once more to taste his lover's mouth again. He presses forth and Kaidan presses back, hands slinking to Shepard's neck, one smoothing down his chest, and Shepard shivers as he falls back into finding himself needing more contact.

It was only natural he became so needy around Kaidan, and it was something he wouldn't admit.

So Kaidan grips his shirt tight, as well as Shepard's shoulder, and pushes off the wall to pull the kneeling man into the water.

Shepard surfaces with a gasp not one second later, and Kaidan has the worst shit-eating grin o his face, as Shepard might say. "You _bastard_ ," he scolds with a grin, running his palms over his shorn head to wick the water off of his face, feeling heavy with his shoes and pants and everything else still on, soaking up water until they've all become heavy yet so weightless in the pool.

Some sort of spark lights in Shepard's soul, and he thrusts his arms forwards to catch Kaidan's shoulders, pulling them together into the most heated, ferocious kiss he's felt between the two of them. Kaidan licks the seam of Shep's lips, the passage opening in an answer to such a quiet question. They fight back and forth, Shepard wading Kaidan to the wall with a wave of water in their wake, pressing against him as they both try to peel off his shirt.

It sticks, and they both pull away in defeat to breathe and laugh.

"You're crazy," Shepard says.

"You love it," Kaidan retorts. 

"I do," Shep agrees, smiling and huffing out a laugh for the briefest moment, biting his lips as his hand smooths down Kaidan's stomach to his half-hard cock, eliciting a little yelp from the other when Shepard strokes with the perfect amount of pressure.

"Oh," Kaidan whines, quiet and in Shepard's ear, making the man shiver with imminent want, turning his world for the worst when he feels Kaidan's hand down the front of his own pants. Kaidan unzips them in the water for a moment, just to get more room, and kisses Shepard's Adam's apple when his head tilts back to let out a moan.

Until Kaidan hears the deck door open, and he shoots his gaze over as quickly as possible to the door.

The wide-eyed man is still, and despite Kaidan's relations with him, he still is cautious and nervous.

"Thane," he croaks, clearing his throat, "Could you disable the cameras up here for a bit?" he asks the officer, and Thane nods slowly with his dark eyes, slowly shutting the door behind him after gently placing two white towels on the nearest ledge.

When he's gone, Shepard starts to laugh like he hasn't laughed in a long time. He's out of breath within a few seconds, and Kaidan leans his head into the junction of shoulder and neck, shaking his head against the surface. "I can't believe that just happened," Kaidan groans.

"I can," Shepard snorts. "It seems like something that would happen to us. Don't you think?" He finishes, cupping the side of Kaidan's face to press their foreheads together. IN a moment of peace, Shepard revels in the feeling of Kaidan's breath on his lips, and he breathes in the sweet smell that still sticks to Kaidan's skin despite the water possibly washing the distinct undertone away.

"Yeah," Kaidan sighs, and his mouth stays open as he presses one more kiss to Shepard's lips, lingering and getting momentarily lost in the sensation of closure, the other's hand stroking down to Kaidan's neck, then his shoulder.

"So," Shepard hums when Kaidan breaks away just slight of an inch. He raises a brow and keeps his eyes on Kaidan's lips, brushing his thumb over Kaidan's bottom lip, "About the cameras being disabled..?"

Kaidan giggles, actually _giggles_ , and nudges Shepard's arm with his knuckles. "Just give it a second, Shep, don't get too excited," and leans his head tilted into Shepard's palm against his cheek, warm and feeling safe.

"It's so hard to resist," Shepard coaxes, and Kaidan winks in the dim light, and Shepard feels his world coming apart once again.

His dark muse kisses him once again, and it's all it takes for him to fall back into the temptation one more time.


End file.
